The 15 best places to shop if you're a (very) tall girl

Enthusiastic fan of Jilly Cooper, books, horses and singing. Not a made-up person.

Friday 5 October 2018

Shopping as a tall woman can be The Actual Worst - believe me, I know. I was 6ft 1in by the time I was 12, yet I was terrible at netball and got a million different height-related (and ginger! What a combo) nicknames. To add insult to injury, I don't think I wore something I actually liked for another five years.

I speak to tall girls every week who are tearing their hair out over getting a cool shoe in a size 9, 10, or 11; a summer dress that won't cause alarm in a stiff breeze; even shirts that just finish at the wrist. That is what this guide is for. Long Tall Sally, ASOS Tall and Next Tall are great starting points for tall girl shopping, but there are SO many more options now!

Advertisement

Charlie Chooses: The 7 high street buys you should add to your shopping list this week, according to our Fashion Editor

Charlie Teather

Shopping

19 May 2019

Charlie Teather

If you're having problems finding tall clothes that you like, that flatter you, and that don't make you feel wildly depressed, take this guide as your starting point. Here, I'm focusing on well-priced products that are easily accessible online or on the high street.

So embrace your own reasonably-priced giraffe, summon your inner (and outer) Amazon, and resolve only to wear clothes you love and which fit in 2017. And if all else fails – Etsy has wonderful made to measure, and you can get 80% of what you need at Marks and Spencer.

ASOS

Ah, ASOS, beloved home of snazzy wiggle dresses, spot-on midi skirts, and the Ridley jean, which threatens Topshop's Baxter and Leigh styles as the ultimate tall girl jean of choice. The excellent ASOS Tall range features a number of guest brands, and it's a good place to stop for wedding guest outfits with a bit more oomph than the usual. They have a good range of size 9 shoes, and occasionally feature larger sizes.

French Sole

Makers of probably the UK's favourite ballet pumps, French Sole have long since diversified into stunning opera slippers, pointed flats, sturdier shoes, and collaborations with Liberty, the English National Ballet, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, as well as influencers like Mrs Alice and Rosie Fortescue. Wonderfully, many styles go up to a 11 (almost all are available in a 42, or 9), and you can choose from a variety of brights, neutrals, and sparklers.

Chicwish

Long legs look fabulous in minis, but for sheer OTT joy you can't beat a midi skirt, and Chicwish's collection are arguably the most fun. Whether you want flamingos, London skylines, or (my favourite) hot air balloons, you can get them in a wide range of sizes, and usually with pockets. POCKETS.

Warehouse

Warehouse! Who knew? The brand that resurfaced on everybody's radar last spring with some amazing prints also serves up the most fantastically well-fitting shirts for long arms. Their dresses come in really tall girl-friendly midi styles as well. Lovely.

Tall Girls

Specialist shops aimed at tall girls have had a rocky journey over the last 20 years, but most of them are finally settling into their groove. The real stars at Tall Girls are their incredibly flattering side gather jersey dresses, their Dream Denim jeans, and their shoes, which in many cases go up to a size 12. They have a showroom in Hampshire, and organise regular pop-up shops in London's Regents Park.

Clarks

Over the past few years, Clarks have become the secret weapon in every size 9 girl's wardrobe, thanks primarily to the smart, imaginative flats in its Narrative range. Their reputation for sensible (read: comfortable as walking on pillows) soles, combined with some surprisingly vibrant materials and styles, mean they're well worth keeping an eye on. They don't stock 9s in stores, but you can order as many pairs as you like, free, to be sent to a store for you to try on.

Long Tall Sally

Long Tall Sally has worked admirably hard to up its game with younger buyers, and ongoing collaborations with brands like Ruby Rocks have provided some truly covetable styles. In winter, you can't beat LTS brushed cotton pyjamas. They are factually perfect, as are its knee boots (LTS's footwear goes up to an excellent size 13), and for summer it's all about its trouser range, stylish heels, and easy-to-wear stripe tops in a lollipop array of colours.

Finery

The perfect choice for cool, angular office wear, Finery has the added bonus of fitting a taller framer beautifully. Tops, shirts, skirts, dresses – all great, and interesting styles. Don't hang around though, the popular styles go very quickly.

New Look

New Look's Tall range is only available online (boo!), but it's pretty extensive: you can get everything from jeans to jackets. New Look's shoes are also a bargain, and well worth a look into: they go up to a size 9 in almost every style and, most importantly, a size 9 that you can find in the bigger branches, so you can try them on without ordering them in specially.

Monsoon

The wrap dresses beloved of Issa and Diane von Furstenberg look ravishing on tall girls. If the budget doesn't quite stretch, then Monsoon jersey dresses are a godsend. They bring in variations on the same theme each season, and they are comfy, elegant and a decorous length, even if you're well over six foot. Monsoon's cocktail dresses are also worth a look: gorgeous, and an investment that will last for years.

Topshop

While many tall girls are still mourning the passing of Topshop Tall Baxters (find them on eBay - the most perfect tall jeans ever? Discuss), Topshop brings in plenty of other styles. The Leigh are absurdly comfortable, although you may find you need to take a larger size than you ordinarily would. Topshop's Tall range also covers dresses, jackets, skirts and if you dive down into shoes, their own brand line goes up to a 9, with plenty of exciting styles.

Irregular Choice

Irregular Choice do some of the most creative, enchanting and downright ridiculous shoes in town: you want Star Wars? You got Star Wars. Plenty of their styles go up to a 9 (43), encompassing brogues, flats, slippers, and of course, their fantastic heels.

Shoe Embassy

If you like colourful shoes without compromising on quality, Shoe Embassy are for you. Most of their stylish range of sandals, brogues, heels and boots comes in a 9, with several styles also available in a 10. You'll find it hard to settle on one pair.

6 Foot Fashion

Overseen by 6ft 1in tall Kelly Scott, who also designs some of the ranges, 6 Foot Fashion"] collects 18 brands of clothes and footwear for tall women. The website is a bit uninspiring, but there are good things if you're prepared to dig.

Next

Next's Tall range is also online only, but it has become a secret weapon among those in the know (its Arizona lookalike sandals are very well-regarded and just £18). Shoes go up to a 9 in many styles, and there's a wide selection of trend-led and more classic clothing.